13 In a Million
by Starlite1
Summary: Second in the Pathways Series.The gang are back for their second summer, and when a mysterious stranger from 2048 arrives on their doorstep, something big is about to go down.... Currently on hiatus and awaiting reconstruction
1. Time's Ghosts

Disclaimer: As much as I wish I did, I don't own Doctor Who. I may have the DVD and book box sets, as well as my quarter share in a little blue TARDIS, but Doctor Who is the property of BBC Wales and all affiliates!

Book 2 in the Pathways Series

1(3) In a Million, Chapter 1.

Time's ghosts.

By Starlite1

_2046._

The alien wheezing echoed through the room, as an indistinct shape emerged from the gloom, aligning itself once more with reality. From the ancient police box there exited a woman, whose violet eyes betrayed far more sorrow than one of her years should ever know and who betrayed the memories of what could have been. A strand of her short mousy brown hair was tucked behind her ear as she marched up the stairs, her black trench coat swirling around her feet.

"You're home." Her brother stated as she came into the entryway, pulling the basement door shut with barely a thought.

"Not by choice." She replied in exhaustion, "There was nothing I could do on Porussian. I was too late, and so I was forced to watch them burn."

"They're showing up everywhere we turn, aren't they?" He demanded, his own tiredness cracking his own façade.

"They're showing up everywhere full stop." She retaliated, "Is _he_ any better today?"

He pursed his lips, "He's not screaming, if that's what you mean."

She nodded, "That's better than yesterday. Are you all right?"

He shook his head, "How could I be?"

Her eyes scrutinised him, "What happened?"

"Anita miscarried again. A son." He stated, barely retaining his mask.

"Oh…"

Sighing, he sat down on the stairs, "She's home now, resting thankfully, but I'm not sure for how long. This is the ninth child we've lost in the past ten years! _I'm _not sure how much longer _I_ can take it, let alone her!"

She sat down beside him, "It wasn't your fault…"

He turned to her, tears welling in his eyes, "Maybe we should just give up…"

"That's never the way."

"But maybe it would be for the best."

She glanced at him sorrowfully, "I need to go and check on him."

With that she rose from her seat and marched down the hall into the study.

The room was dark, with the scent of stale whisky hanging in the air, the aroma of time blunted by a dampening depression that would never be lifted. The fire stooped low in the grate, flickering across the man splayed dejectedly across the chair in front of it. Grey tinged the temples of his brown, spiky hair and dark circles hollowed beneath his eyes, which stared blank and unseeing into space. His white shirt was rumpled and skewn, the vest stained and misbuttoned. In short, she stood before a broken man.

"Father?" She asked him tentatively.

A low cockney voice mumbled "She's gone… My Rose… Dead…"

"She's been gone eighteen years… Isn't it time to do what she would have wanted? Move on, live for her?"

Brown eyes scrutinised her intently, nearly a millennia of life staring out upon her, "She was never supposed to die."

"Don't you think that I believe the same about _my _husband? My _daughter?_" She demanded, "My Emily should have turned nine today! In three months I should be celebrating my tenth wedding anniversary! But I'll never know that. I'll never see her graduate, fall in love, teach her how to drive or even see her grow up! I'll never get to see my husband again, no matter how much I might wish for it!"

"Don't you think I know that? _They were never supposed to die… _" he said resignedly

"At least you and mum had thirteen years. We didn't even get one." She exploded, the tension inside her exploding outward in a torrent of tears, "Every night. Every Single bloody night, I see _them_. I see mum. I see Lucy. All alive. Every night I'm haunted by these images about what I, what _we _could have had! Every night that little girl scampers through my head, and no matter how many sleeping pills I take, no matter how tired I am, I can never get to sleep for these ghosts who won't let me rest!"

He chuckled at her, cold and mirthless, "Now you know my burden."

"Yet I'm not the one sitting in that chair." She retorted, standing and marching out of the room.

IOIOIOIOI

Brother and sister circled each other, weapons held loosely in their hands. Eyes scrutinising, watching for any weakness that could be exploited. One would lash out without warning, their staves clashing together in a dizzying flash, seconds later backing off once more.

"So what happened out there?" he asked, moving to strike her right flank.

She shrugged, fending the blow easily, "By the time I arrived," she rained down a

series of blows even whilst continuing, "The atmosphere was burning and the few who hadn't been taken were burning with it."

Swinging his staff round, he caught hers, "Z'Keth or Hamassi?"

Shoving him away, she resumed a fighting stance, "Both."

His eyes widened, even as he began swinging around, "That's never happened before… You certain?"

She feinted to the left, "Positive. It even looks like they might be attempting to merge the two species…"

"Just what we need: Creatures who eat you alive whilst sucking your blood _and_ soul…" He winced, as she cuffed him in the head, "Ouch…"

"You're telling me." She agreed, "As if being killed by one of the two wasn't bad enough…"

"None of us went through what you did," He reminded, bringing his staff up even as she blocked, "So don't," Smash, "Get," Smash, "All Tetchy about it!"

"Just as well…" She muttered, parrying him easily, "I completely went off my rocker at him today…"

"_You?_" He said incredulously, "You're usually the sane one in this household."

"I don't know. It was as if he set off a switch and everything…"

"Came gushing out?" he said in understanding, "Isn't that why we do this? To stop that happening?"

"I suppose," Thwack, "But everything focused today…"

"Yeah, I know the feeling." He replied bitterly, striking to the shoulders.

"You coping all right with everything?" she asked in worriment, brushing aside his blow.

Evaluating his chances, he replied, "As I said earlier: Nine times. After a while… You forget how to feel…"

"I wish I could…" Josie replied.

He turned to her, "No, You don't." Quickly he flipped around to her back, raising to strike, and "This numbness just roots in your soul… and it rips your heart apart, piece by piece, darkness devouring it just as the Z'Keth devour their kills."

She blocked him easily, cornering him against the wall, staff going to his throat, "Yield?" she demanded,

He nodded, "Aye."

Sighing, she released him, "Do you ever wonder if things could have turned out differently?"

"All the time, sister. All the time."

IOIOIOIOI

It was well past ten by the time Jack arrived home. The grey ghost, they had taken to calling him, for that was all he truly was.

"Interesting day at work?" she commented from the table where she sat over a cup of black tea.

"It's work." He answered as he sat opposite, "Torchwood's a job, nothing exciting." The once thick American drawl had been tamed by thirty years of living in Britain, just as had the man, as he stared into the cup of water where once a beer or a hypervodka would have been. Business suits and ties had replaced tight fitting jeans and sonic blasters, just as the smile on his face had been replaced by the bleak, impassive glances that carried the burden life had forced upon them.

"He was lucid today." She commented airily, "And he made some comment about missing mum."

"We all miss her." Jack soothed, "Him more than we could understand."

"You really think so?" She asked icily.

Jack sighed, staring her in the eye, "After the Time War, she put him back together. Then she was ripped apart by the forces of time in front of him! In front of us all! At least with Lucy I got to say goodbye!"

"And do you think I got to say goodbye? To either of them?" She reminded him.

Jack instantly paled, realising they weren't talking about the people of before, "Emmie's birthday…"

"And I still can't say _his _name… Not without loosing it completely." She told him,

"Why does it hurt so badly?"

"You know Jo, I honestly don't know." He replied helplessly, draining his glass and leaving her alone with her thoughts.

The clock on the wall ticked inevitably onwards, second after second, minute after minute, ever onwards to eternity. She stared resolutely into her glass. Tick Tick. The Sound continued onwards, her grip around the cup tightening.

_SMASH!_ The glass in her hand shattered, scattering pieces over her hand. Cursing slightly, she wrapped her wounded limb in a tea towel, and returned downstairs.

IOIOIOIOIOI

Hand patched up, she lay in her bed. Around her the dark, bare walls closed in around the hard, cramped mattress she afforded herself in place of the opulent bed she had once deemed to call her own. She had no need for such extravagance any more, and no such frivolity would ever assist her disjointed sleep.

Hours later she somehow managed a light doze, slipping into her dreamworld…

"Happy birthday to you…" 

"…_Emmie!"_

"……_Yeah lil sis?…"_

"_Helena! Don't wake Michael!"_

"_Yes auntie Josie!"_

…_Another boy!…"…_

"…_Saved them all for once…"_

Faces floated around her mind in an indistinguishable haze, "…honey? 

She bolted upright, the shocked realisation coming over her.

"This isn't right."

IOIOIOI

The great moaning of the engines echoed through the silence of the night, carrying with it a lone Time Lady.

" He said '_They were never supposed to die.'_ If they were never supposed to die, then somebody's been messing around in time, and that means that the dreams I've been having aren't just dreams…" She told the ship as she pumped, prodded, bashed and banged, "There the reality-Or what should have been our reality. And we have to fix it!"

Memories began trickling into her brain, thoughts and feelings flashing faster than a hyperspace engine as the trickle became a torrent, and as the torrent became a Tsunami…

The blue police box and its mistress hurtled through space and time once more, heading towards a place they knew all too well…

IOIOIOI

A.N: Please tell me what you think! I love reviews, constructive criticism is always welcome and flames shall be used for fireworks!


	2. Homecoming

A.N: Happy New Year's! I'm back, with another installment,ready for the new year!  
Thanks go to: Kate's Master, jumanji, Dory Shotgun and Faith Lynn- You guys Rock!  
Hope you Enjoy!

1(3) In a Million, Chapter 2  
Homecoming.  
_By Starlite1._

"Well don't blame me!" Adrian snapped, slamming the door open and ignoring the fact it nearly

broke Anita's nose on the rebound.

"Who ever said we were!" Senka retorted, his voice squeaking uncomfortably.

"_She_ certainly was!"

"Just because she decided to waltz off, dump us for that…" Senka breathed in, trying to steady his vocal chords, "that's still no reason to take it out on us!"

"_She_ had no reason to take it out on us either!" Anita exploded, angrily dropping her bag to the floor, "And yet here we stand, having this _stupid_ conversation!"

"Points for observation! Question is what are we going to do about it?" Adrian rebutted.

Senka threw his hands up in the air, "How should we know? And frankly, should we be worried?"

"What do you mean?" Anita demanded.

He shrugged, "Shouldn't it be her choice whether or not she comes? She's taken on monsters, alien armadas…

Anita drew a shuddering breath, "Yeah, but still fobbed us off!"

"Not denying it!"

"Glad we got that bit over and done with!"

"So am I." Stated the Doctor, coming in from the basement, "We could hear you downstairs! What on earth happened to cause this racket!"

Adrian's eyes darkened, "Just our dear sister deciding we're not worth the time of day…"

The Doctor raised an eyebrow, arms folding over his chest, "Right, so where is she?"

Anita waved her hand, "Glassgow, Missisipi…I don't know! She went home with her new bosom buddy, waltzing off into the sunset as though we weren't even there! Not so much as a goodbye!"

"Right…Did Rose agree to this?" The Doctor asked skeptically.

"Under duress." Rose grumbled, coming in from the car, "Not as though she gave me much choice in the matter…"

"Suppose there's not much that we can do at the moment…" The Doctor mused,

"Looks like there might be trouble brewing, in more than one place in the universe."

"So you're saying we'll have to leave her here in this time zone?" Anita demanded.

He nodded, "There's little else we can do…"

"Are we just going to head straight off?" Rose asked her husband.

"As I said, we don't have much choice in the matter. Something's making a right mess for us to clean up. But I think one night here before we leave would be wise. Give you lot a chance to recover before we go ploughing head first into danger once more." He smiled slightly, "Anyway, your grandmother would kill me otherwise."

IOIOIOIOI

Vetoing unpacking, the trio headed towards the kitchen to find Jackie sitting with a cup of tea, dirt smeared over the front of her shirt and jeans, gumboots discarded carelessly by the door.

"Help yourselves." She told them, indicating the pot, "Where's Josie?"

Exchanging wary glances, Anita answered, "Off with her new mate."

Jackie glanced up from the cup, surprised, "You're kidding."

"We've just had a huge tiff over the matter." Adrian added, re-boiling the kettle and setting out a plate of biscuits.

"Make sure you get some tim-tams." Jackie reminded, "Well, that's definitely a change of circumstances."

Anita sighed, "It feels…wrong without her here."

The sound of rustling leaves came from the bench, where Mordrid was awakening at the sound of the voices around him. He seemed to glance around, swirling around in search of Josie.

"Oh dear…" Jackie murmured, glancing as the plant became forlorn, sinking back in his pot, "He's been dreadfully excited the past few days…Still, nothing we can do about it now apart from get on with things. Now tell me about school…"

Relieved to be once more in neutral territory, they began their retelling of their adventures.

It was to this conversation that Rose walked in, exhaustion visible in every aspect of her bearing,

"So what's this about plastic chickens?"

Adrian blushed red, Senka muttered something incoherently whilst Anita simply rolled her eyes,

"The last adventure we managed to have before…the grinch came."

Rose raised her eyebrows, "Love the metaphor."

"We decided to switch all the teacher's dinners for plastic ones. Only thing is we could only get plastic chickens. So we waited until Thursday-"

"-Chicken night." Senka explained.

"And we made sure some of our mates were on serving duty. We switched, and Voila! Chaos!" Adrian said.

"Majority of the teachers found it hilarious." Anita added.

"All but the maths master Wimperton." Collectively they shuddered.

Rose smiled, "Sounds like you've been busy. But that's still no reason to leave your bags in the entryway."

Anita pursed her lips, "Uhm, just out of curiosity, would it be all right if I stayed on the TARDIS?"

"Why?" Rose asked in surprise.

She shrugged, "It's just without Josie here, it doesn't seem right to be in her room…"

"And your room in the TARDIS is just as comfortable as up here." Rose concluded.

Anita simply nodded.

"As long as you have your phone, I can see no problem with that. Just make sure you check it up with the Doctor, all right?"

IOIOIOIOI

The awkwardness caused by the absence of one of their party only became more apparent at dinner. Despite the delicious meal they had, any attempt at conversation quickly fizzled, and the majority of the meal passed in silence.

Plates were cleared away without comment, and quickly the trio decided to depart for bed.

"You lot want to come down?" Anita asked quietly as they reached the entryway.

They paused for a second, "Better than staying up here…" Adrian finally agreed.

Opening the door to the basement, they filed down the rickety stairs, the darkness unnerving as it enveloped them. Cautiously they continued onwards, the stairs creaking ominously below them.

Suddenly, Anita froze, tense as a rabbit.

"Ouch!" Adrian complained, crashing into the back of her.

"Shut up!" She hissed.

"Why-?" He was interrupted by the all too familiar wheezing, groaning sound echoing through the basement, "There is _no way_-"

Practically jumping down the last steps, they came to rest at the entry to the cavernous room. Senka gasped as an ethereal blue light washed over them, dancing across their faces as something remarkably familiar solidified beside their TARDIS.

"Just making sure I'm not insane," Senka began, his voice shaking, "Am I seeing what I think I'm seeing?"

"Either that or we're all going insane…" Adrian replied, his eyes not leaving the now solid object before them.

Instinctively, they stumbled backwards as the door opened. The eyes of the woman who stepped out locked on them, "When?"

"What do you mean?" Senka asked nervously.

"What's the date? Day of the week, year…"

"June the first, twenty twenty-seven." Senka said, "A Tuesday, if you were wondering."

"Thanks, Senka." She replied, gazing over their faces wistfully, "That makes it just over a week before Jack and Lucy get engaged. Looks like I might have just made it."

"Okay, we've answered your question. Now you can answer ours." Anita said in puzzlement,

"Who are you?"

Violet eyes locked on her own with an unnerving familiarity, "I'm sorry for being so rude. Josephine Romana Sigma Tyler at your service. Now where am I?"

IOIOIOIOIOI

"Dad," Adrian said from the door of the living room, "We've got a problem…"

At this, the Doctor dropped his book, "What do you mean, Adrian?"

Slowly, the trio entered the room, accompanied by the woman.

The Doctor's eyes widened, "And you would be…"

"Third regeneration." She stated simply, pulling a charm from beneath her shirt, and showing to him,

"The Necklace Uncle Jack gave me for my birthday last year. Actually originally belonged to Her Royal Highness Queen Ishitakita something or other of Porussia. I could never remember her full name, but still a rather remarkable woman, even if she did tend to ramble on a bit…" taking a seat across from where he had sat barely moments ago, she said bluntly,

"Jack and Lucy are going out, and at the moment Jack has a ring in his pocket. Mum is the Bad Wolf, and you three are the Sage, the Protector and the Flame respectively. Oh, and if you need more convincing…" She leant across to whisper something in her father's ear.

The Doctor stared at her in shock, the tip of his ears reddening considerably, "Right. I think you've proven your point, Josie."

She sighed, "No one's called me Josie for years. Now days it's simply Jo."

"At least that will make things simpler…" he mused, resuming his seat, barely paying attention as the trio did the same, "So why are you here?"

She leant forward in her chair, "To try and stop time going off the rails."

"You do know the dangers in crossing your own time line?" he asked her in annoyance.

"Considering someone's already playing around in my history, I'm on a different regeneration, and I'm not dealing with myself, they're already pretty much eliminated. As long as I watch my tongue, this shouldn't create a paradox." She retorted, "Things have been changed, and the future's not pretty."

"And you know this how?" He demanded.

She tapped her forehead, "I've been seeing both time lines for years. Only thing is I only just realised what's happened."

He nodded, "So basically, you're here to warn us of what we need to know, try and get history back on track and head back to your family in the future in time for tea?"

She winced, "If you can call what I have in the time line I've come from a family, then yes."

"Care to elaborate?"

She gazed at him sorrowfully, "The split happened around this point in time. I take it school broke up yesterday?" At Anita's nod, she continued, "I should be here. That means this is the point where things are starting to be set in motion, all heading towards a massive shift in time."

"Care to elaborate on the main differences?" The Doctor asked.

She shrugged, "Time line one, the one we _should _have followed, the Z'Keth and their allies are a major threat to the safety of the universe. Time line two, the one I came from, The Z'Keth Alliance are overrunning the universe. Time line one, My daughter celebrated her ninth birthday the day I left, and my husband and I are preparing for our tenth wedding anniversary. Time line two, my husband and daughter are dead. Her siblings were never born, and I am in this body. Time line one. Anita and Adrian have three children and are currently expecting twins. Time line two, she has just miscarried for the ninth time."

"Us! Married?" Adrian exclaimed, eyes shooting towards and equally shocked Anita.

Meanwhile the Doctor had paled visibly as she had spoken, picking up on his future daughter's

unease, "Rose?" He asked hoarsely.

She winced as they arrived at the part she had least wanted to talk about, "Unless you do something to get me back here, she will die before the summer is over. At that point the split in the time lines will become absolute, setting in motion events which will lead to Lucy dying days before she and Jack would have married in the first time line, Grandma having a fatal stroke, you regenerating into a madman and the Z'Keth overrunning time and space with no way to halt them."

He nodded, not trusting himself to speak.

"Wait, so what you're saying is someone's meddling around in your history to give the Z'Keth the edge?" Senka said.

Adrian looked up on her, "But to cause the split into _two_ time lines, they would have to be from the future, the one where everything's right."

"So someone decided they didn't like you or the way things had turned out for their side, so they went back-"

"And found a key event from which they could orchestrate their eventual rise to universal domination? Why does this sound familiar?" Anita asked, shaking her head in disgust, "It seems someone has a Hitler complex, just with time travel added in."

Jo scrutinised her sadly, "You don't know how correct that metaphor is. There's a war coming, and no matter what I do or say here, it will arrive, and it will sweep us along with it."

"As if this day couldn't get any worse…" Adrian moaned, burying his head in his hands, "It was bad enough when you -our you- abandoned us to go off with Lady Grinch…"

Jo's eyes shot up, "What did you say?"

"Today when Mum arrived to take us home, you told her you were going home with you new mate…Pahana, I think her name was…"

"That's the point where I start to get the double memories." She stated flatly, "What did she look like?"

Anita shrugged, "She definitely has American Indian blood in her. Round faced, hair usually has braids in it, green eyes-"

Wincing, Jo interrupted her, "I was afraid you were going to say that. That's not the Pahana I know from the proper time line. Most beautiful brown eyes, though I don't believe she began at Scots until the beginning of second form. Just out of curiosity, have there been any dead animals around the school?"

Adrian shrugged, "Yeah. The few we found…" involuntarily he shuddered

Pursing her lips, Jo stood, walking over to the fireplace, "Pahana's a Hamassi operative. No other explanation."

"Hamassi?" Senka questioned.

Jo cringed, "Living vampires. Very adept at manipulating people mentally. Their food of choice is a combination of humanoid blood and spirit, although any living creature can keep it going until more…favourable food becomes available."

"Spirit as in alcoholic?" Adrian asked.

She shook her head, "Spirit as in soul, entire being…"

"As if the Z'Keth weren't bad enough…" Senka muttered, "Are they working in cohorts?"

"I wish I could tell you otherwise, but in the one I came from, yes. It looks like they were going to try and merge the two species. As for the other one, that's hazy."

"What fun! Being eaten whilst being drained of blood _and _having your soul ripped to shreds at the same time! What a wonderful experience!" Senka said sarcastically, pulling up short at the expression that came over Jo's face.

"You don't want to know." She stated flatly, biting her lip to maintain her composure.

He reddened in embarrassment, "Sorry…"

"Forget about it." She said with a wave of her hand, "It happened a long time ago for me, and it's about time I put it behind me. Back on track… Pahana. You said that I'm with her at the moment?"

Anita nodded, "Off in the world with a vampire. Now there's an alarming thought…"

Jo paused, "If I'm remembering right, then you're supposed to encounter the Hamassi for the first time these holidays anyway. At least now you three have a heads up-of sorts."

"So what do we do?" Adrian asked in frustration.

Jo sighed, "That's up to you, my dear brother. If I tell you any more than what I have already, the chances that it will create a paradox will increase exponentially."

The Doctor nodded, "You're right. Looks like I taught you well."

She smiled, "You taught us all well, Dad." With that, she made ready to leave.

"Oh, Jo?" He began.

"Yes?" She answered, turning to face him.

He stood, folding his arms, "How old were you when you regenerated?"

She halted, "First time, barely nineteen. Second time I was twenty-four. And that was five years ago…So I'm going well this year…So far."

He shook his head in astonishment, "And I thought four hundred was bad…"

"I guess I'll see you around the galaxy…" She said with a chuckle, "Hopefully this time around, things won't turn out so bad."

As she walked out of the room, something hit Senka. Ignoring the others, he ran out the room to catch Jo. Her hand was on the door as he sprinted into the entryway.

"Jo!" He called, ignoring her resigned look as she turned to face him.

"What's up?"

He inhaled, "What's happened to me in the future?"

"I've already said." She replied simply.

"You did?" He paused, recollecting their conversation, eyes widening as the realisation hit him like a SledgeHammer, "Oh."

Resignedly she turned once more, "Hopefully I'm going back to something other than that. But no matter what, just make sure you cherish every single moment, all right?"

He nodded, "Of course."

Chuckling to herself, she gazed fondly at him once more, "Don't look so shocked. Nothing happens just because I've said it will. It happens because of something much deeper."

"What?"

"You'll find out when the time's right, Senka. Until we meet again." And with that, she was gone.

IOIOIOIOI

A.N: Hmm... want to find out what happens next? Then PLEASE review! I Live on reviews, and I love to hear what you have to say! Constructive criticism, as always is welcome, and flames shall be used for making brownies!


	3. Dawning

1(3) In a Million, Chapter 3.

"Right, we need a plan." Adrian stated as Senka returned to the living room.

"So what do we do?" Anita asked, tension in every fiber of her being.

The Doctor pursed his lips, "Work with what we've got."

Senka looked at him, "Situations? Moodiness? Information from weird clones or regenerations from the future?"

"Basically, yeah. Anita?"

Instantly, she snapped into business mode, "Right, the suspect, namely Pahana first appeared at Scots after the Christmas break, bringing with her a distinctly French accent, which in hindsight definitely does not fit with said person's heritage."

"Didn't take long for that pair to become bosom buddies." Senka added resentfully.

"Also at this time," Anita continued, ignoring him, "Said original of 'weird clone' began smashing glasses in her sleep. Hideous to clean up, and extremely dangerous, thus making plastic cups a necessity."

"Did we really need to know that?" Adrian complained.

The Doctor silenced him with a glare, "As a matter of fact, we did. Now we have an excuse to drag her back here, even if it is by the scruff of her neck. Continue, if you please."

"Hang about!" Senka exclaimed, "I remember seeing something come crashing down on Christmas eve!"

"And you didn't mention it?" Adrian exclaimed.

Senka glared at him, "I didn't think anything of it at the time! It just came crashing across the sky, and frankly I wasn't sure whether or not I was dreaming!"

"You know, as much as this argument _could _be productive, I'm having trouble seeing that presently, so _back on track boys._" He grumbled, "Anita, if you wouldn't mind."

She nodded, "Right. Soon she began changing…Not in _that _way, Adrian!" She snapped at his horrified expression, "But in terms of how she would be, what she would do. Seemed like she was becoming distant…"

"Ouch." The Doctor said, "If this has been going on six months, then we may have less time than I thought…"

"So basically, we need to find her, break through any mind control that may have been placed upon her, get out of there, and go back to exploring time and space?" Adrian outlined, "It sounds so easy on paper!"

The Doctor pursed his lips, "But much more difficult in reality…But putting it into action will have to wait for the morning. It's about time we all headed off to bed, especially if we're going head to head with a vampire tomorrow instead of just having an average, run-of-the-mill day."

Adrian sighed, "And battling aliens, travelling through time and space to save cultures with unpronounceable names is?"

The Doctor blinked, "Good point. You lot staying down on the TARDIS?"

Senka nodded, "We might as well. That way if anyone else decides to pop in, then at least Anita won't be on her own."

"Right. Good night then. Just come up when we phone for breakfast, all right?"

The trio nodded.

As the Doctor turned to go, he paused, "Oh, by the way, don't tell any of the others about this, especially Josie. Last thing we need is for the Reapers to make a visit."

"Good night, Dad."

IOIOIOIOIOI

She looked up as he entered, surprised to see him looking so drained and desolate.

"Oh Rose." He stated, coming over to the bed where she sat, pulling her to her feet and engulfing her in a desperate embrace.

"You're strangling me…" she choked out

Reluctantly he released her, but refused to break off all contact

"You want to tell me what's brought this on all of a sudden?" She asked, "Not that I mind when the man of my dreams sweeps me off my feet, but that was just…weird."

He sighed, sinking down onto the bed, "Nothing…just…"

Rose folded her arms across her chest in annoyance, "That wasn't nothing, and nor were those voices downstairs." She stated flatly, "Something's got you worried…"

"We just had a visitor, from a few years ahead of now…"He answered guiltily, "I can't tell you anything more…"

She nodded in acceptance, "I understand."

Quickly, they changed for bed, slipping beneath the cool linen sheets.

Once again, Rose found herself wrapped in his arms, "Last time you grabbed me like that was after the Anne-droid…." She stopped in her tracks, realization hitting her hard in the stomach, "I was dead, wasn't I?"

He simply looked at her, sadness creeping into his eyes no matter how hard he tried to stop it.

"In the future, I'm dead, and judging by how you've been ever since you walked in, it isn't far in the future at all."

Unable to lie to her, he simply nodded.

Sighing, "Even _if_ I did die, I would _never _leave you, understand?"

"How-?" He asked, his voice breaking

Gently she rested her hands against his chest, "I'll be here. In your hearts. Whatever we have to confront, now or in eighteen years time, we'll face it together, with our kids."

Burying his face in her hair he murmured, "What did I ever do to deserve you?"

She chuckled slightly, "You grabbed my hand, and never let me have a reason to look back."

IOIOIOIOI

The sky was barely beginning to lighten, and the world was coming alive. Unsteadily Senka climbed out of the hatch in the roof, glancing up to see his best mate staring out to the Eastern horizon. His brown hair was tousled by the zephyrs that sped ahead of the sun, announcing its impending arrival to the world. The light illuminated his features, starkly contrasting the angular planes of his face as his intense gaze looked out over the suburbs of London.

Silently Senka scrambled up the shingles to perch beside him, "You're up early."

"So are you." Adrian answered, not glancing at him.

"I take it that what Jo had to say had an impact?" Senka surmised.

With a shrug he replied, "Maybe." At the dubious glance he received, he said, "All right, maybe slightly. But can you really blame me for wondering?"

"No. I can't blame myself for wondering either." Senka acknowledged, pulling a croissant out of his pocket.

Adrian shook his head, "It's just…she's a friend. Of course, one of my best, but still…Married?"

Senka chortled, "Isn't that a topic a bit too heavy to be thinking about at twelve?"

"Eleven," he corrected, "Our birthday isn't for another two days."

"Speak for yourself." Senka replied, tearing the croissant in half and offering it to his companion, who gratefully accepted.

"All right, mister I-was-twelve-three-months-ago, what about you? Haven't you wondered what's going to happen in the future to you? To Josie?"

"I suppose. Then again, after what Jo had to say on the subject, I'm not too sure I want to find out."

"You mean-? You and her?" Adrian said in surprise, recalling the bluntness of his sister's future counterpart.

He nodded, "Yep. Not the brightest of things to look forward to, especially considering what Jo had to say. But if we fix everything up now, then hopefully we'll spare her the hell she came from."

"Wow, so you as a brother-in-law…Now there's an interesting thought."

"Tell me about it."

For a while they sat in silence, thoughtfully munching their breakfasts. The sun ascended over the horizon, bathing the world in golden light. Around them, the chatter of birds filled the air, as the first cars began to take to the streets. Trucks were delivering the daily supplies to the shops, newspapers declaring the news of the day stacked on the pavement waiting to be opened and read over a glass on lemonade during the sultry Sunday afternoon that was sure to follow.

Somewhere off in the distance, the bells of a chapel began to chime, joyously calling out the new day. Joggers panted as they took to the footpaths, dogs cheerfully running along beside their masters and mistresses, carefree in the cool morning air. Slowly the scent of strong, dark coffee began to waft through the air, as the espresso machines of London began their daily marathons.

"But you know what she said to me, when I was out talking to her?" Senka said out of the blue, "That it wouldn't happen simply because she said it would…That something greater than that would happen to cause it…"

"Ah, the great mechanics of the universe." He shrugged, "I don't even know why we're bothering about it."

Senka grinned, "Nor do I. So where is Anita anyway?"

Adrian shrugged, "Still asleep, I think. Or she was three quarters of an hour ago when I checked up on her."

"Actually, I'm wide awake." A telltale voice called from the hatch.

The two boys spun towards her, "No need to scare the life out of us!" Adrian complained.

"Lucky then that I didn't." Anita replied, easily climbing up to them, "I'm surprised to see you up so early."

"Did you bring food?" Adrian asked, ignoring her comment.

Chuckling, she removed the thermos from her back, handing it to Senka before delving into her pockets to produce three Danish pastries, "Thought you might be hungry."

"Cheers!" Senka grinned, sipping the dark liquid.

"Oi! Pass a bit!" Adrian grumbled, "Not all for you, y'know!"

"Exactly." Anita agreed, deftly snatching it from his hands, "Not bad actually."

"Got any to spare?" The Doctor asked from behind them, pulling himself up onto the roof.

Anita shrugged, "Should be. Didn't expect you to come up here."

The Doctor shrugged, joining them on the apex, "Actually I was looking for you three. I wanted to talk to you about something. A project, I suppose you could say for the summer."

The trio looked at him, intrigued.

"From what Jo said, there's a war coming. And knowing you lot and your missing companion, the chances are you'll be in the thick of it. Last thing any of us want is for you to go in unprepared."

Adrian looked at him curiously, "So you want us to do some sort of…training?"

He nodded, "Sort of, yeah. For Josie it's more urgent, but it wouldn't do you lot any harm."

Senka nodded, "So what would the plan be?"

A maniac grin broke out over the Doctor's face, "Basically get up, have breakfast, then come and do some work on telepathy and the like for an hour or so-"

"Hang about!" Anita interrupted, "Me? Do mind stuff? Isn't that more Josie and Adrian's area of specialty?"

The Doctor turned to look at her, "You've shared a room with Josie most of this year, haven't you?"

She nodded, "Course. The glasses fiasco was a nightmare, but usually she's a brilliant roommate."

"The fact that you can say that indicates that you've got some sort of ESP. Otherwise, chances are you would have gone insane by now." The Doctor explained, his mind whirring ahead, "You see, when any untrained telepath sleeps, chances are they'll transmit their thoughts and emotions to those around them. The range is only ever a few feet, but it can still be disturbing. The fact you haven't been troubled by them means you've built up barriers. Strong ones, too, considering how volatile she is, and strength takes more than just simple, average human abilities."

Her eyebrows went up in shock, "Yikes…"

"Chances are you wouldn't have noticed them if being around Josie hadn't forced you to use them. Back on track…" He proclaimed, jumping subjects faster than a grasshopper, "After an hour with me, you three will do an hour with Jack. He'll teach you the basics of hand-to-hand, weapons, as much as I might disagree with them, you need to know how to use them, and combat and tactics. By the end of that, you will probably be rather bunged up, so you'll head down to the infirmary where Lucy will teach you basic healing and medicine. After you've wrecked her medical equipment, you can go to Rose to learn the jiggerypokery to fix them. Then after lunch comes TARDIS driving lessons, which will undoubtedly land us in trouble, and allow us a grand adventure to finish the day. Questions?"

"Wait, you said Mum would teach us jiggerypokery?" Adrian demanded.

The Doctor grinned wickedly, "Yet one more hidden depth to your mother. She's a miracle worker with a wrench and a few bits and bobs."

"Will we get rest days?" Anita asked practically.

The Doctor smirked, "Only when you're locked in gaol. Too many things have been going haywire around the universe for us to relax over the summer. So instead we'll run around like mad hatters and be all the better for it!"'

Anita and Senka nodded in agreement, "It sounds like a plan!"

With that he slapped his knee, sliding down the awning to the window, "Now I believe we have someone to rescue! So get a wiggle on, have some _real _breakfast, and we'll meet at the TARDIS at half past nine."

IOIOIOIOI


	4. Off The Deep End

A.N: Hey, here's the re-edited chapter four!

Thanks to last chapter's reviewers: James Jago, Faith Lynn, Kates Master, timano, Freak and proud and Dory Shotgun

1(3) In a Million, Chapter 4.

Off the Deep End.

By Starlite1 

True to his word, The Doctor, Rose, Jack and Lucy were standing patiently at the entrance to the TARDIS at exactly half past nine, laden down with provisions to last them until they returned a week later. Bemusedly the Doctor found himself staring at the mildew forming slowly on the wall next to the water tank. If he didn't know any better, he could have sworn he saw the shadow of a wolf among the almost flame-like patterns of the moss, intermingling with the indecipherable whirls that adorned the wall.

"Come on!" Jack shouted up the stairs, sighing as the muffled replies drifting downwards.

"Honestly." He muttered, attention turning to the door as he moved to open up. He was halfway through turning the key when what sounded like a stampede of elephants crashed through the hallway overhead. The basement door slammed open, and the trio half ran, half tumbled down to the bottom.

"Made it!" Adrian said triumphantly.

"Barely." Anita retorted with a glare.

Rose tutted, "Enough you lot! In. Now."

Obediently they filed in, the Doctor calling, "Go and put your bags down, and then we'll see about getting our errant daughter back."

IOIOIOIOI

Within minutes he was buried deep within a mountain of wires beneath the console. Incoherent mutterings flittered up from the alcove, accompanied by the humming of the sonic screwdriver. Every once in a while a curse and a thwack would punctuate the calm.

"Cuppa?" Rose asked, placing a cup beside the access hatch, chuckling as a hand emerged from the ship's innards to grab the item. Shaking her head fondly, she resumed her usual seat, allowing the sounds of the TARDIS to soothe her as her mind contemplated what lay ahead. After all, not every mother had to deal with saving one of her pups from the claws of a vampire…

_Pups…_Rose thought suddenly, mind pulling up short.

"Rose?" The telltale voice called, "Would you mind passing me the spatial compensator?"

Grateful to be rescued from the train of thought, she rooted through the contents of the toolbox which were spread right around the hatchway. Finding the device with surprising ease she poked her head down the hole, "Here you go." She proclaimed.

"Mufhfuf" The Doctor mumbled around the screwdriver in his mouth, taking the tool and lovingly running it over some unnamed piece of equipment,

"Done!" He proclaimed, slapping the panel shut, draining the cup of tea before wrenching himself out of the hole, grinning maniacally.

"What've you done?" Rose demanded.

He grinned, frantically dashing around the console, "Rigged up a tracking device. We use a TARDIS key as a homing beacon, trace it right to Josie, pick her up, then head back out into time and space!"

Rose shook her head in bemusement, "We're ready for you!" Rose shouted out into the main body of the ship.

Instantly the distant thundering of feet could be heard echoing through the corridors, "Not another stampede…" The Doctor moaned, pausing in his frenzied movements.

Three heads poked around the doorframe, "Took your time!" the Doctor complained, sprinting to the other side of the console, dragging a bundle of wires out from beneath one of the monitors.

"Right, I'm going to need your key, Adrian." The Doctor said, not halting from his work.

Adrian's eyebrows furrowed as he pulled it out of his shirt and handed it over, "Why?"

Wires were wrapped around the object, the readouts instantly fluctuating as the great machine wheezed to life.

"You key is the sibling key of your sister's," the Doctor explained even as Rose came over and helped hold down the buttons, "They're a pair. One can pinpoint the other."

"Can't the TARDIS do that?" Rose asked curiously.

The Doctor nodded, "Suppose. Just not as accurately as doing this way! Hold on!" He called as the ship heaved and pitched, once more hurtling through time and space.

IOIOIOI

"Wasn't that just supposed to be simply through space?" Adrian asked as he pulled Anita up from the deck.

"It was." The Doctor replied bluntly, "But even that's rough when we're doing this sort of thing. Now, who's up to seeing where we are?"

The trio raced to the door, followed by an anxious Rose and determined Doctor. The doors opened to a wall of greenery, warm sunlight dappling through to fall pleasantly upon their faces. The distant sound of children's voices carried across the air, their delighted shrieks swelling and crescendoing as they raced around. Peaking around the trees, they could see the group of children had lined up on the large green.

"What's the time Missus Wolf?" They chorused.

The girl at the front of the party shouted, "Ten o'clock!"

Obediently the others took ten paces forward before once more chorusing, "What's the time Missus wolf?"

"Dinner time!" She shouted, spinning around and chasing the others once more.

"Isn't it supposed to be Mister Wolf?" Senka asked curiously, "That's what we would say when I played the game as a child…"

"You were a child nearly eight hundred years ago!" Adrian pointed out.

"But you're right." Anita interjected, "It was always Mister Wolf whenever I played it."

"Could it just be an attempt at gender equality?" Rose asked nervously.

Gently the Doctor took her hand, "It's probably just coincidence. Come on, we need to find Josie."

The gravel of the driveway crunched under their feet as they made their way towards the house. Beds full of roses bloomed on either side, their perfume wafting to their noses just as bees wafted to the scent. Reaching the house, they speedily ascended to the porch, swiftly pulling the doorbell, the great chime echoing inside.

Within seconds the door was opened to reveal a woman well into her thirties, her dark cocoa eyes shining with curiousity, "Hello, how may I help you?" She asked, her voice heavily undertoned by her American accent.

The Doctor smiled, "I'm Doctor Tyler, Josie's father. I'm wondering if we could talk to her?"

She warmly replied, "Come in, she's upstairs with Pahana at the moment." She paused in her tracks, "Oh, and I'm Tama by the way."

Rose smiled, "I'm Rose, this is Adrian, Senka and Anita."

"Ah, we have heard quite a bit about you three from Pahana." Tama commented, showing them into the sitting room, "We were extremely grateful when she was accepted into Scots mid-term. We though we would be waiting until at least the beginning of this year. And then to have met a friend like Josie! We've hardly seen hide nor hair of them since they arrived. Not that I blame them. Teens these days..." She trailed off, "Nonetheless, It's good to have her home. We heard so little from her during term."

"Really?" Rose interjected.

Tama nodded, "And usually Pahana's so good with keeping in touch. Back in the U.S, she'd write all the time from summer camp...Then again, things are different over here."

Rose nodded, "So what made you move?"

"My husband and I felt it was time for a sea change, and every time we've visited England, we've loved it. Not to mention our company was extremely eager to gain a foothold in Europe..." Tama ramblingly explained, "Only thing we have to complain about is the cold!"

"Mum? Dad?" Came Josie's voice from the stairs.

Rose's face lit up, as she turned to see her daughter descending, "Josie!"

"What are you doing here...?" She asked suspiciously.

The Doctor quickly interjected, "Something's come up, and so we've decided to bring you home."

Josie's eyebrows shot up, "Why?"

"Josie, what is wrong?" Pahana called from above.

"Nothing, just my Mum and Dad have come around to _check up on me_." she called back, stressing the last words.

The Doctor glanced at Rose, "Actually, we haven't. Lucy's ill, and you are needed."

"Why me?" Josie demanded.

Anita interjected fiercely, "Because unless you come it will be too late!"

"No!" Pahana shouted, sprinting down in between them, "I mean-why bother dragging her home? Surely it would be better for her to be out of your hair?"

The Doctor stared at her levelly, "If it weren't for the fact that we need her around, I'd agree."

"No!" Josie burst out angrily, "Why should I? Why can't I just be normal for once? Have an average summer, and not go gallivanting off around the universe?"

"Uh...Universe?" Tama questioned nervously.

But the Doctor wasn't paying attention, "Because you're not normal. Because if you don't, a grounding will be the least of your problems, and the least of everyone else's problems."

Something seemed to flicker in her eyes, "I'll go and-"

"Stop, Josie!" Pahana demanded, the distinctly French accent emerging in her voice, as something seemed to flicker around her, "I would be just as sorely disadvantaged by your leaving!"

"But..." Josie wavered, "Lucy..."

"Is she dying?" Pahana snapped.

"Yes, she is." The Doctor commented blithely.

An unearthly scream emanated from Pahana, her green eyes flashing, edges blurring to merge with...something.

"Josie," The Doctor said calmly, "We need you."

She nodded, "Yes Dad. Give me a second to pack." Suddenly Tama shrieked in terror. As Josie turned, she came face to face with a monster.

"You will not leave thisssss pllaccceeeeeee" Hissed the creature that had minutes before been Pahana.

Josie's eyes widened in shock, "What the-?!"

"Tempest..." she hissed, driving her back down the stairs, "You sssshhhalllll not interfere...the Hamasssssiii have waited too long for victory to be sssssnatched from our grassssp at the last minute."

Slowly the creature advanced upon her, writhing tendrils lashing out, grasping at her arms and legs, driving Josie down the stairs, making her stumble onto the floor. As she hit, it was as though a switch had flicked within her. Once more the creature readied to strike, triumphantly readying to lash out.

"Oh no you don't!" She defended, leaping to her feet, her eyes flashing icy blue. The air sizzled with energy, crackling electrically with the intensity of a thunderstorm. The tendril rammed home, only to slam into the barrier that now surrounded her. Desperately the creature pounded against the bubble that sealed around her, vainly searching for a way to get at her prey.

"Thanks Josie." The Doctor nonchalantly commented.

"No problem, Dad." Josie replied distractedly, her eyes not falling away from her shield.

"Right." Suddenly his entire demeanor changed, "I've got a few questions for you. First off, who are you, and what have you done to the _real_ Pahana?"

A mirthless chuckle emanated from the creature, "I am Stynn Dou Fourath Ortakra, Fifth of the third of the First Kantu of Hama. As to that measly creature whose face I have been forced to wear since I arrived on this planet, she has served me well as sustenance…"

"_Where. Is. She_?" The Doctor asked, his voice low and dangerous.

"Why should I tell you, Time Lord?" Stynn replied, smugness oozing from every aspect of her being, "There is nothing you can do to harm me!"

"Josie," The Doctor said smugly, "Can you tighten your shield?"

"Yes." She answered, frowning in concentration. Instantly, Stynn began to hiss, as she was compacted into a swirling mass.

"Except that." The Doctor retorted, "Where is she?"

"Attic!!" Stynn surrendered, now a gyrating mass of tendrils.

"Josie, relax on her, but don't let her go!" he ordered.

The mass solidified into a humanoid-like shape; Green eyes rimmed by red, mottled silvery skin, four elongated fingers ending in long talon-like fingernails, and ebony black hair that melted into the dress she wore. Yet her most notable feature were the two inch elongated canines, bared furiously, "How dare you!!"

Ignoring her, the Doctor raced up the stairs. Instantly, the others vaulted off the couch, following after him. Josie wrenched Stynn along, ignoring the protests and curses flung at her.

On the vestibule, Tama pointed, "Down this corridor, right to the end, the door which looks like a linen cupboard! I haven't had the chance to look in there yet…"

Skidding slightly, they sprinted around the corner behind the Doctor, who cracked the lock with the sonic screwdriver, wrenched it open, and sprinted up the stairs four at a time.

His eyes widened, and he cursed under his breath.

"Is she-?" Rose asked, the words dying on her lips at the girl in front of her. Nestled among meters of tubes, clothed only in rags and the needles that regularly pierced her flesh. Her skin was pallid and drawn against her skull, the bones jutting out in a cruel mockery of what she had once been.

"Oh Spirits…" Tama murmured at the sight, her eyes turning to Stynn with an expression of pure, unadulterated hatred, "You did this to her!" She screamed, rushing forward, with

Anita, Adrian and Senka barely managing to hold her back. Stynn only laughed ruthlessly.

Meanwhile, the Doctor had made his way over to her, carefully running the screwdriver over her, "She's alive, but barely." He stated gravely.

Senka winced, "So Jo was right?"

The Doctor merely nodded, before turning to Rose, "Call Jack. We need the TARDIS here, and we need Lucy!"

Nodding, Rose rushed down the stairs, pulling her phone out as she went. The murmur of her conversation the only sound bar the machinery slowly sapping Pahana of life. Seconds stretched endlessly as they waited, hoping that Jack would be able to pilot the great ship to them.

"Couldn't we carry her down?" Josie asked worriedly.

The Doctor shook his head, "She's not strong enough. And I wouldn't take her past those kids playing on the lawn. Nobody so young should ever have to witness this."

"Pahana's brothers and sisters…"Tama whispered, "What will I tell them?"

"We'll have to deal with that when the time comes-" He was interrupted by the great wheezing, groaning sound that signified the arrival of the TARDIS, "Right now, there are more important things to worry about."

"What is that?" She asked uncertainly, gasping as the blue box appeared at the other end of the attic.

As soon as it had solidified, the doors burst open and Lucy came rushing out with her kit under her arm, Jack mere inches behind.

"Move." She told the Doctor flatly, taking the spot he had hastily forsaken.

"My God…" She whispered, taking in the girl's appearance and quickly pulling out her

scanner, "How long has she been like this?"

"Around six months…" The Doctor stated gravely.

Lucy nodded, "I'm going to need some more equipment from the medbay to get her out of this mess…"

"What do you need?" Jack asked her, resting a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Quickly she rattled off a list of equipment with nearly unpronounceable names, Jack, murmuring them under his breath before setting off at a sprint to get them, barely catching her shout to bring a gurney.

Whilst he was off, Lucy began to attempt to work out the tangle of wires and tubes. Her long fingers gently removed what she could, clean white bandages covering the marred, abused skin.

"You did this to her?" She finally muttered quietly, her gaze turning to Stynn.

Swirling within Josie's barriers, she sneered, "With pleassure. Young and fressh. Took all of my control not to have her all at oncce."

Glancing down at her patient, she stood, slowly advancing upon Stynn with an intense look that made the others quail, "If it weren't for the fact that I took an oath to protect life, I would tear you limb from limb for what you've done to this girl."

The sound of pounding footsteps came from the TARDIS. Instantly, Lucy became a whirlwind of energy, the new equipment helping to get the majority of the last tubes out of her.

"I can't move those last three," Lucy explained, "One goes into her spine, one into her cardiovascular, and the other is wedged into her stomach. For them I'll need to get her into surgery, and for that I need to move her inside."

The Doctor nodded, "Put her on the gurney?"

"Yes. Just make sure you mind those ghastly machines." She commanded, observing like a hawk as Jack helped him lift her and the foul devices onto the floating gurney.

"Come on." Rose said gently to Tama, leading her to the TARDIS, followed by the quartet, Josie mentally dragging the prisoner.

"It's…" Tama began, drifting off at the sight.

"Bigger on the inside than the outside?" Rose commented, "You get used to it. Now, how about we go and have a cuppa?"

"But-"

"Lucy will need time to operate to get those tubes out." she explained, "And you need to come to terms with this."

Tama nodded, still unable to tear her eyes away from her daughter.

_Dad!_ Josie mentally shouted.

Surprised, the Doctor turned to face her, _What?_

_I'm not sure I can hold this beast much longer…_Josie anxiously told him.

"Right," He said out loud, "Jack, Adrian, I'm going to need your help in building a holding cell for this monster."

Lucy pursed her lips, "I was going to say I needed Jack with me…"

Anita inhaled sharply, "I'll come."

"You sure?" Lucy asked, her eyes scrutinizing, "As much as I am glad to take you in, this won't be a nice introduction to surgery."

Steeling herself, Anita returned Lucy's stare, "That thing needs to be locked away, and Jack's the best when it comes to rigging shields. Not to mention he's a decent shot if worst comes to worst. I go with you, I learn the trade, and if it's ugly, then at least I won't go in with rose-coloured glasses."

"Right then. Let's move." Lucy ordered, together with Anita pushing the gurney out of the control room.

"Senka, stay with Josie." The Doctor ordered, "Adrian, Jack, I think I know just the spot…" With that, they all split.

IOIOIOIOI  
A.N: What do you think?


	5. Aftershock

A.N: Right, here's the next part! Hope you enjoy!

13 in a Million, Chapter 5

Aftershock

By Starlite1 

Hands shaking violently, Tama placed the steaming mug on the table once more. "Why us?" She stated bluntly. She turned around to Rose, tears welling in her eyes, "What makes my daughter so special that an alien chooses her from nearly a thousand students and then rips her into shards? Why not someone else? She's never been overly sporty, she never topped anything. Never touched anything illegal…" the tears flowed freely down her face, as she hissed, "_Why her?" _

Rose stared regretfully at the distraught woman she had met barely minutes ago, saying calmly, "Time can't exist without the minutes and seconds."

Pulling up short in her agitated pacing, Tama demanded, "What does that mean?!"

Returning her own cup to the table, Rose appraised Tama. Pausing slightly before answering, she explained, "I learnt the hard way that even the most insignificant person can change the course of history. Something happens, and history either shifts or crumbles. But from what we can work out, that creature needed to stop something that is due to happen this summer. The only way to do that was by infiltrating the school."

"But why Pahana? Why _my _daughter?" Tama interjected.

Rose shrugged, "Because she was the only one who arrived late enough not to make everyone else suspicious, but soon enough to change history…"

Suddenly exhausted, Tama collapsed into a chair." Who are you people? Really?"

"Travelers."

Tama shook her head, "That's not the full story. What are you? Aliens from outer space bent on taking over the human race?"

"If we were really bent on taking over the world, do you think we would have stopped Stynn?" Rose retorted.

"So you are aliens?"

"We're the ones you want on you're side." Rose replied firmly, "Jack and Anita are both human. Admittedly Jack's from the fifty-first century, but Anita's born and bred twenty first century."

"Really?" she said, intrigued.

Rose shuddered, "Her mother's a nightmare to deal with. Now where was I? Lucy's half human, her dad was one of the first 'aliens' to come to earth under diplomatic agreements. She's from the twenty fourth century, grew up in Italy as a matter of fact."

"Her son?"

"Senka? We know he's a quarter human and Yinoran, but the other half, we have no clue. He was born in the 12th century…"

Tama's brow furrowed, "How is that possible?"

Rose's features darkened, "Lucy was abducted, raped, and dumped over a thousand years before her own time. We met the pair of them last year when we were dealing with some other aliens trying to take over the earth."

"What about Josie and Adrian?"

A smile instantly replaced the scowl, "Twins. Half human, half Gallifreyan. Adrian's the elder. Josie's twenty minutes younger. Also she happens to be telekinetic, that's how she's keeping Stynn under control."

"Gallifrey?"

"Was my husband's home planet. Destroyed in a war that ripped all of time and space apart."

"Is that what's happening now?"

"I don't know." Rose replied regretfully, "I certainly hope not. Now how about we go and check on how the boys are going?"

Tama nodded in acceptance, placing her mug upon the bench. Turning to Rose once more, she asked, "What about you?"

Hesitating at the door, Rose answered, "You know, I honestly have no clue anymore."

IOIOIOIOI

"Ready when you are, Josie!" Adrian said victoriously, grinning as he and Jack tweaked their contraption. From the sidelines the two women watched on apprehensively.

Josie stood just off the center of the room, looking extremely exhausted. Sensing her captor's weakness, Stynn thrashed about, pounding against the barriers more feverishly than before. Focusing intently, she pushed the bubble, and the vainly resisting creature to the center of the room.

"Do it." She ordered.

Instantly a crackling shield of energy encircled the center of the room, a scream of sheer frustration emanating from the prisoner inside.

"Shield's stabilizing." Jack read out, "No unusual spiking. No fluctuations."

"Good." The Doctor stated calmly, "It's about time we got this monster behind bars."

"Please tell me I can let go…" Josie said, weariness finally making its presence known in her voice.

The Doctor glanced at Jack and Adrian. Both gave him the thumbs up.

"Yes."

Instantly she rumpled to the ground, "Finally…"

"You did brilliantly. Both of you did." The Doctor told them proudly.

"I'll just have a can of Red Bull…Or six…" Josie idly commented from her spot on the floor.

"And they will have been well earned." Jack said, flicking a switch on the monitor, "Now the TARDIS can take over, and we can go and get some food."

"Sounds like a plan," The Doctor said, leading the way to the door, "Oh, and Stynn?"

"Yesss…"

"Just in case you get any ideas, there are no ways out of this place. The air generators are in here, so there is no connection to the open world."

Stynn merely hissed in frustration.

IOIOIOI

As the seconds ticked into minutes, and the minutes into hours, the tension began to fill the kitchen. Any attempt at conversation died a quick and pitiful death, suffocated by the oppressive silence.

Eventually, the tension rose to the point where frustratedly Josie stood up, glancing at the boys, before heading off towards the med bay.

Anita was sitting on one of the beds, a cup of potent black coffee cradled lovingly in her hands. Her skin was slightly ashen, chunks of her fiery hair falling limply from beneath the bandanna she wore. The oversized scrubs swam on her petit form, giving Josie the feeling she might fade away.

"Hey…" She said, downing the remainder of her cup.

"Is it rough in there?" Josie questioned sympathetically.

Anita nodded vehemently, "The amount of damage that monster has done…It's amazing she's still alive…"

"Are you all right?" she inquired.

"Yeah. It's really a strange intro into medicine, and it's pretty weird doing this, but I can't turn back now…"

Suddenly Lucy appeared at the door, "We need to get back in there."

Anita nodded, "Duty calls."

"Guess I'll see you at the other end."

Anita grimaced, "See you in hell…"

IOIOIOIOI

Somewhere around two in the morning, Anita and Lucy entered the kitchen. Instantly Lucy crossed to slump against Jack.

"We did it. The damage was pretty horrific, but we did it." She declared.

Tama's eyes instantly lit up, "She'll live?"

Anita nodded, "It'll take six?" Quickly she glanced at her tutor who nodded, "Weeks for her to be back on her feet…"

Once more a deluge of tears threatened from her eyes. "I am so grateful for what you have done for my Pahana."

"It was us who got her into the situation in the first place, least we could do!" The Doctor commented cheerfully.

"Just think! What may have happened if you hadn't turned up…"

IOIOIOI

_2056- Timeline B (The deviant time stream)_

"Can't believe they're pulling this place down!" Jim murmured, glancing around the decrepit building, eyes falling on the rearing wolf adorning the shield over the entryway, "I remember when I was a kid, we used think it was haunted!" 

"Quit your moanin', lad!" Donald groused in his thick Scottish brogue.

"Oh come on! They used to say that the family who lived here were killed off, one by one!"

"So what happened to the bonnie lasses in this tale of yours?" Donald asked.

"The Children, the father, all killed under mysterious circumstances until only the mother remained…"

"Pull the other one!" Donald snorted.

Grinning, he put his torch beneath his chin, "They say the mother went mad from grief. And her eldest daughter forced to wander the house in limbo for all eternity, a lost soul cast astray…And still she wanders the halls…"

"Quit yer gasbaggin'!" Donald snapped, "We're supposed to go through, see if there's anythin' wort' salvagin' befor' we begin wit the bashing balls and dynamite!"

Shaking his head, Jim rambled up the stairs, ones which must have once appeared grand and stately, yet now hung rusty and draped with dust and cobwebs. The Vestibule was cracked and covered in grime, bathed in the shards of light from the cracked and broken windows. Every step sent a cloud of dust billowing into the air.

Out of the corner of his eye, he thought he saw a girl staring at him from within the dust, a notion in light and shadows, her round face sad and lost. Yet when he turned to her fully, she was gone. He shook his head, _must be seeing things…_He thought apprehensively

Slowly he walked down the passageway, opening the doors to reveal room after room filled with emptiness.

Eventually he made his way to the end of the passageway, coming face to face with an old linen cupboard. Even though he knew that all he would find inside was a pile of petrified towels and sheet, he felt compelled to see what lay within.

Shivers coursed up and down his spine as the doors opened, not revealing the previously promised Manchester, but instead a rickety flight of stairs.

"Hello?" He called vainly, pulling a torch from his belt, shining it through the veil of cobwebs. Each footfall brought a wailing protest from the begrudging steps.

He reached the top, "Hello? Anyone here?" He called once more, he voice echoing hollowly as he swung his torch around the piles of discarded, decaying boxes. The light suddenly fell on a face grinning blankly back at him. All the color instantly drained from his skin, his eyes unable to leave the ghastly spectacle before him. The skeleton stared back, its tiny form slumped against a trunk, wires falling between the ribs of parched, ancient bone.

"Jim, whattya been……."Donald began, trailing off as he realized what he was staring at, "Oh God and Mother of Mercy…what do we have here?"

"The reason they say this house is haunted."

IOIOIOI

A.N: Please Review!


	6. Meetings and partings

A.N: Right, here's the next part! Hope you enjoy!

13 in a Million, Chapter 5

Aftershock

By Starlite1 

Hands shaking violently, Tama placed the steaming mug on the table once more. "Why us?" She stated bluntly. She turned around to Rose, tears welling in her eyes, "What makes my daughter so special that an alien chooses her from nearly a thousand students and then rips her into shards? Why not someone else? She's never been overly sporty, she never topped anything. Never touched anything illegal…" the tears flowed freely down her face, as she hissed, "_Why her?" _

Rose stared regretfully at the distraught woman she had met barely minutes ago, saying calmly, "Time can't exist without the minutes and seconds."

Pulling up short in her agitated pacing, Tama demanded, "What does that mean?!"

Returning her own cup to the table, Rose appraised Tama. Pausing slightly before answering, she explained, "I learnt the hard way that even the most insignificant person can change the course of history. Something happens, and history either shifts or crumbles. But from what we can work out, that creature needed to stop something that is due to happen this summer. The only way to do that was by infiltrating the school."

"But why Pahana? Why _my _daughter?" Tama interjected.

Rose shrugged, "Because she was the only one who arrived late enough not to make everyone else suspicious, but soon enough to change history…"

Suddenly exhausted, Tama collapsed into a chair." Who are you people? Really?"

"Travelers."

Tama shook her head, "That's not the full story. What are you? Aliens from outer space bent on taking over the human race?"

"If we were really bent on taking over the world, do you think we would have stopped Stynn?" Rose retorted.

"So you are aliens?"

"We're the ones you want on you're side." Rose replied firmly, "Jack and Anita are both human. Admittedly Jack's from the fifty-first century, but Anita's born and bred twenty first century."

"Really?" she said, intrigued.

Rose shuddered, "Her mother's a nightmare to deal with. Now where was I? Lucy's half human, her dad was one of the first 'aliens' to come to earth under diplomatic agreements. She's from the twenty fourth century, grew up in Italy as a matter of fact."

"Her son?"

"Senka? We know he's a quarter human and Yinoran, but the other half, we have no clue. He was born in the 12th century…"

Tama's brow furrowed, "How is that possible?"

Rose's features darkened, "Lucy was abducted, raped, and dumped over a thousand years before her own time. We met the pair of them last year when we were dealing with some other aliens trying to take over the earth."

"What about Josie and Adrian?"

A smile instantly replaced the scowl, "Twins. Half human, half Gallifreyan. Adrian's the elder. Josie's twenty minutes younger. Also she happens to be telekinetic, that's how she's keeping Stynn under control."

"Gallifrey?"

"Was my husband's home planet. Destroyed in a war that ripped all of time and space apart."

"Is that what's happening now?"

"I don't know." Rose replied regretfully, "I certainly hope not. Now how about we go and check on how the boys are going?"

Tama nodded in acceptance, placing her mug upon the bench. Turning to Rose once more, she asked, "What about you?"

Hesitating at the door, Rose answered, "You know, I honestly have no clue anymore."

IOIOIOIOI

"Ready when you are, Josie!" Adrian said victoriously, grinning as he and Jack tweaked their contraption. From the sidelines the two women watched on apprehensively.

Josie stood just off the center of the room, looking extremely exhausted. Sensing her captor's weakness, Stynn thrashed about, pounding against the barriers more feverishly than before. Focusing intently, she pushed the bubble, and the vainly resisting creature to the center of the room.

"Do it." She ordered.

Instantly a crackling shield of energy encircled the center of the room, a scream of sheer frustration emanating from the prisoner inside.

"Shield's stabilizing." Jack read out, "No unusual spiking. No fluctuations."

"Good." The Doctor stated calmly, "It's about time we got this monster behind bars."

"Please tell me I can let go…" Josie said, weariness finally making its presence known in her voice.

The Doctor glanced at Jack and Adrian. Both gave him the thumbs up.

"Yes."

Instantly she rumpled to the ground, "Finally…"

"You did brilliantly. Both of you did." The Doctor told them proudly.

"I'll just have a can of Red Bull…Or six…" Josie idly commented from her spot on the floor.

"And they will have been well earned." Jack said, flicking a switch on the monitor, "Now the TARDIS can take over, and we can go and get some food."

"Sounds like a plan," The Doctor said, leading the way to the door, "Oh, and Stynn?"

"Yesss…"

"Just in case you get any ideas, there are no ways out of this place. The air generators are in here, so there is no connection to the open world."

Stynn merely hissed in frustration.

IOIOIOI

As the seconds ticked into minutes, and the minutes into hours, the tension began to fill the kitchen. Any attempt at conversation died a quick and pitiful death, suffocated by the oppressive silence.

Eventually, the tension rose to the point where frustratedly Josie stood up, glancing at the boys, before heading off towards the med bay.

Anita was sitting on one of the beds, a cup of potent black coffee cradled lovingly in her hands. Her skin was slightly ashen, chunks of her fiery hair falling limply from beneath the bandanna she wore. The oversized scrubs swam on her petit form, giving Josie the feeling she might fade away.

"Hey…" She said, downing the remainder of her cup.

"Is it rough in there?" Josie questioned sympathetically.

Anita nodded vehemently, "The amount of damage that monster has done…It's amazing she's still alive…"

"Are you all right?" she inquired.

"Yeah. It's really a strange intro into medicine, and it's pretty weird doing this, but I can't turn back now…"

Suddenly Lucy appeared at the door, "We need to get back in there."

Anita nodded, "Duty calls."

"Guess I'll see you at the other end."

Anita grimaced, "See you in hell…"

IOIOIOIOI

Somewhere around two in the morning, Anita and Lucy entered the kitchen. Instantly Lucy crossed to slump against Jack.

"We did it. The damage was pretty horrific, but we did it." She declared.

Tama's eyes instantly lit up, "She'll live?"

Anita nodded, "It'll take six?" Quickly she glanced at her tutor who nodded, "Weeks for her to be back on her feet…"

Once more a deluge of tears threatened from her eyes. "I am so grateful for what you have done for my Pahana."

"It was us who got her into the situation in the first place, least we could do!" The Doctor commented cheerfully.

"Just think! What may have happened if you hadn't turned up…"

IOIOIOI

_2056- Timeline B (The deviant time stream)_

"Can't believe they're pulling this place down!" Jim murmured, glancing around the decrepit building, eyes falling on the rearing wolf adorning the shield over the entryway, "I remember when I was a kid, we used think it was haunted!" 

"Quit your moanin', lad!" Donald groused in his thick Scottish brogue.

"Oh come on! They used to say that the family who lived here were killed off, one by one!"

"So what happened to the bonnie lasses in this tale of yours?" Donald asked.

"The Children, the father, all killed under mysterious circumstances until only the mother remained…"

"Pull the other one!" Donald snorted.

Grinning, he put his torch beneath his chin, "They say the mother went mad from grief. And her eldest daughter forced to wander the house in limbo for all eternity, a lost soul cast astray…And still she wanders the halls…"

"Quit yer gasbaggin'!" Donald snapped, "We're supposed to go through, see if there's anythin' wort' salvagin' befor' we begin wit the bashing balls and dynamite!"

Shaking his head, Jim rambled up the stairs, ones which must have once appeared grand and stately, yet now hung rusty and draped with dust and cobwebs. The Vestibule was cracked and covered in grime, bathed in the shards of light from the cracked and broken windows. Every step sent a cloud of dust billowing into the air.

Out of the corner of his eye, he thought he saw a girl staring at him from within the dust, a notion in light and shadows, her round face sad and lost. Yet when he turned to her fully, she was gone. He shook his head, _must be seeing things…_He thought apprehensively

Slowly he walked down the passageway, opening the doors to reveal room after room filled with emptiness.

Eventually he made his way to the end of the passageway, coming face to face with an old linen cupboard. Even though he knew that all he would find inside was a pile of petrified towels and sheet, he felt compelled to see what lay within.

Shivers coursed up and down his spine as the doors opened, not revealing the previously promised Manchester, but instead a rickety flight of stairs.

"Hello?" He called vainly, pulling a torch from his belt, shining it through the veil of cobwebs. Each footfall brought a wailing protest from the begrudging steps.

He reached the top, "Hello? Anyone here?" He called once more, he voice echoing hollowly as he swung his torch around the piles of discarded, decaying boxes. The light suddenly fell on a face grinning blankly back at him. All the color instantly drained from his skin, his eyes unable to leave the ghastly spectacle before him. The skeleton stared back, its tiny form slumped against a trunk, wires falling between the ribs of parched, ancient bone.

"Jim, whattya been……."Donald began, trailing off as he realized what he was staring at, "Oh God and Mother of Mercy…what do we have here?"

"The reason they say this house is haunted."

IOIOIOI

A.N: Please Review!


	7. And the ball starts rolling

A.N: Thanks for your reviews-Love 'em!

13 In a Million, Chapter 7 

…And the ball begins to roll….

_By Starlite1_

"Doc," Jack asked nervously as he walked into the Control room, "Can I ask you something?"

The Doctor's head poked out from beneath the grille, "What can I do for you?"

Sighing, Jack stooped down beside him, "Look." Fishing in his pocket, he pulled out a small velvet box. Opening it, he passed it to the Doctor.

He whistled, "Impressive…When did you pick it up?"

Jack shrugged, "Ages. I guess I've just been carrying it…"

"Waiting." The Doctor completed, "It was the same with the ring I gave to Rose. First alien planet we visited, she spotted it in the window of a shop. She didn't say anything, but I bought it just the same…"

Grinning, Jack took the ring back from the Doctor, "Romantic."

"Look who's talking!" The Doctor retorted indignantly, "I take it you want somewhere fitting that description for tonight?"

"Right in one. Cheers, Doc." Jack saluted, clambering to his feet and heading towards the door.

The Doctor grinned, "Oi, flyboy…You do know you'll be missing out on Lunar Park?"

Jack clutched his heart, "How could you?"

"Quite easily. After all, I owe the twins a belated birthday present considering the day was blown away with all the commotion…Now I do believe that the rest of the troupe is awaiting our arrival."

IOIOIOIOI

"Tea…" Josie groused, reaching for the pot in a dazed stupor.

"You've already had four cups." Anita commented as she moved the steaming beverage to the other side of the table, whilst attempting to be nonchalant but failing miserably.

Josie shot her a death glare, "Now."

"You know, tea is actually rather good for Gallifreyans." The Doctor said, stealing the

Pot from Anita's hands, "Cheers!"

Josie glared triumphantly at Anita, "See?"

"Four's still overdoing." Anita stated firmly.

"You basically grew up with her, you spent _all _last summer with her and you _still _haven't

come to terms with her caffeine addiction?" Adrian asked in astonishment.

Senka snorted, "Rule one: Don't stand between Josie and the teapot."

"Stop it you lot!" Josie snapped, "And speaking of tea, pass the pot!"

"Don't try and resist it, Anita." Adrian consoled, "You'll only be worse off in the end."

"Says you!" Anita shot back, begrudgingly handing it over. The twins instantly pounced upon it, the liquid dark and heavily scented.

"Seems she's not the only one with an addiction." Anita commented smugly.

"You lot!" Rose shouted, poking her head through the door, "Control room, five minutes. Make sure you're actually dressed!"

Instantly the four glanced down guiltily at their pajamas. With a tumultuous scraping of chairs, they bolted.

IOIOIOIOI

He marched back and forth across the grating, boots clicking ominously upon the metal surface. Before him they stood, shuffling nervously even as their eyes remained transfixed upon him.

"TARDIS driving," He began, his voice unnaturally loud in the silent cavern, "Is perhaps one of the most dangerous things you will ever do."

Unable to remain silent, Adrian burst out, "Why are we doing it then?"

An eyebrow shot towards a distant hairline, "Because if you don't, and we end up on our backs, then you lot will be stuck, and I frankly have no intention of being slapped by my mother in law again."

Adrian nodded, "Fair point."

"That being said, we will not stuff up and we will not land in mortal danger-If that's possible for this lot…"

Josie snorted.

"For that, my dear daughter, you can go first."

Apprehensively, she stepped up to the controls.

"Right," he said indicating the first lever, "This is the temporal coordination defractor. Tells you where you're going and how you're getting there. This one's the…."

And so he continued, dancing as nimbly as a ballerina on a sugar high around the console, shouting the names of the various buttons and pulls eagerly, before speeding onto the next one. Josie's head began to spin…

"So!" He finally exclaimed, "You ready to try it for real?"

Shaking in her boots, she stepped up to the console, trying to follow the myriad of

directions her father shouted at her.

Within seconds they were thrown sideways.

"Damn!" She cursed, pulling herself up from the ground.

Behind her the others dragged themselves to their feet.

"Might as well see where we are." Senka muttered, "Is the atmosphere breathable?"

The Doctor danced around to the monitor, "Yep. Bit cool out there, but what you're wearing should be fine."

Shrugging, they trooped over to the door. Gingerly, Anita pushed the door.

Then shut it again immediately.

"What?!" Josie demanded.

"Just a war going on out there…"

"Let me see!" she ordered, pushing the door open. Her head poked out into the cool air, and flinched as a troupe of soldiers riding what looked like a cross between zebras, lions and hippopotamuses thundered by.

"Right." She stated, pausing momentarily, "Shall we try that again?"

IOIOIOIOI

A.N: Want more? REVIEW!!!!


	8. Over the Moon

A.N: _I can't describe how terribly sorry I am that it has been three quarters of a year since I've updated this, but let me do my best to explain._

_First off it was simply a matter of knowing where the story had to go and not being sure how to get it there. Then, around the time I was beginning to put the first ideas for the next bit out and get them written down and out to you, an incident happened online, in which a person whom I had assumed was a friend stabbed me in the back in the most appalling way possible. For a while I couldn't even look at a computer, let alone consider returning to this.  
As the months went by, things slowly became better, I could get back on the computer, and although there are now parts of the Internet I still cannot go near, I was slowly getting better. _

_Eventually I came back with a smaller piece Gyroscope, which was in a way a release of my own. Then the demons came back to haunt me. _

_It wasn't until October that I was able to consider touching this again, but this time I decided a different angle and began a companion piece to The Greatest Summer etc. which I recall someone asking for over a year ago, that is the story of how the characters in the Pathways series came to be. It's still not quite up to scratch, but it's become my pet, and I will be publishing it extremely soon as the majority of its plot is crucial to understanding what happens next in this epic. Details will be up with the next chapter._

_Regardless, I unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately hit a brick wall with that story too, one which I am hoping to sort out with a trip down south we are heading out for today, and thus decided that it was time to let Josie and the gang have free reign in my head once more. So I went through the entire collective amount of material and readjusted the continuality, changed a large number of conversations, dates, and the like. I strongly suggest that it may be wise to go back and re-read The Greatest Summer before continuing onto this one. But after nearly eight discarded drafts, and half a year of trouble with it, I've finally been able to write this scene out. If you notice the difference in tone, style, I apologise, but the person who pinned the rest of this series has changed, and this is what has come from it._

_So now, I wish you a Happy and Safe New Year's and hope to see you again soon, _

_Starlite1. _

**13 In a Million, Chapter 8.**

**Over the Moon**

**By Starlite1**

"Come on, you lot!" The Doctor called out to the quarrelling quartet lagging behind.

"All right! Don't get your knickers in a knot!" Josie retorted.

Her father simply rolled his eyes, turning to his wife, "Tunnel of love, dearest?"

Rose simply shuddered, "Not on your life!" Turning around, a glint came into her eye, "Now _that _is more like it! Move it!" And grasping his hand, she pulled him down the road towards the rollercoaster.

"Where did they go?" Anita asked, turning away from her companions.  
Senka sighed, "Fantastic. Now we've lost the elders."

Adrian simply rolled his eyes, "Phones?"

"Check,"

"Check,"

"Check,"

"And check." Adrian concluded, "Considering we've all got phones, is there any reason why we shouldn't go off and have a look around?"

"Apart from the fact that _your _parents will _crucify _us when they find us?" Anita snapped.

Josie grinned, "In other words, absolutely none. Come on!"

The four raced down the street towards the hyperdodgems, ducking and weaving past humans and aliens alike. Around them the lights of the park flashed every colour of the rainbow, mingling with the scents from the Vendor's carts and the raucous laughter from the throngs of people spiraling off into the night.

IOIOIOIOI

"Jack?" Lucy asked softly, placing a hand gently upon his arm.

Dragging his eyes away from the plexiglass window beside their table, he smiled slightly; "I'm sorry."

She chuckled to herself, "You've been as jumpy as a Mexican jumping bean all night! And that's saying something, Mr. I'm-so-smooth-nobody-can stop me…"

He laughed out loud, "As if you can speak, Ms. Trust-me-on-the-human-stuff-I'm-a-Doctor! "

Burying his head in his hands, he moaned, "We're just as bad as each other, aren't we?"

Her eyes glinting in merriment, she raised her glass in reply.

"Excuse me, sir?" A waiter questioned, coming up beside them, "Would you care for some of this evening's vintage?"

Quirking his eyebrow seductively at her, Jack replied, "What do you have going?"

Slightly miffed at the couple's antics, he replied stiffly, "A Rose Champagne, Vintage 2026. An excellent year, if I do say so myself."

Lucy grinned at him, "Rather fitting, don't you think?"

Returning the expression, he addressed the waiter, "The 2026 will be fine, thank you."

IOIOIOIOI

_The time had come.  
Now was the chance. _

_This would end NOW._

IOIOIOIOI 

The TARDIS was rather enjoying the peace and quiet of the evening. As much as she loved her family, there were times when a girl needed a night alone with the television. Or in her case the Time Streams. Metaphorically sighing, her attention turned momentarily to her unwelcome 'guest'.

She sensed it a second before it happened.

And she screamed.

IOIOIOI

"That was brilliant!" Senka exclaimed happily, "I am glad that I did not miss out on this!"

Josie suddenly stopped in the middle of the road, every single ounce of colour draining from her face

"What's wrong, Josie?" Anita asked, turning to their friend anxiously.

"The TARDIS." She breathed, before bolting back towards the ship.

"We should follow her!" Senka commented anxiously. The ground buckled beneath their feet.

They glanced at each other, dread filling their stomachs, and they sprinted off after their friend.

IOIOIOIOIOI

Jack sighed, placing his glass of wine on the table, "It's just-I mean-It would-"  
"Breathe!" She instructed, "You're worse than Senka."

He grinned wickedly, "He takes after me."

Her eyes glinted merrily, "I agree with that. You must have taught him most of his bad habits…"

He raised his hands in surrender, his heart beating slightly faster, "I guess that I owe you an apology then. Forgive me?"

Sighing, she leaned in closer to him, "Sadly, I cannot."

He paled slightly.

"Because the bad habits you've taught him will most likely end up saving his life one of these days." She concluded, placing a hand tenderly upon his cheek, "And for that I owe _you _a gratitude of thanks."

Feeling the knot of worry in his stomach abate slightly, he commented, "How about we just call it even?"

"Sounds like a plan to me."

The silence this time was a comfortable one. His eyes followed her as she gazed out the window, the Sea of Tranquility spread out below and Earth dominating the horizon, a blue-green tapestry across the orb's surface.

The waiter arrived at the table, silently refilling their wineglasses.

"Thank-"

The ground lurched, sending everyone sprawling

"-You" he finished, stumbling to his feet and offering his hand to Lucy.

"I think that's our cue to leave, don't you think Dear?" She asked, her eyes glimmering with excitement.

He returned the grin, dropping a credit bar on the table to cover their meal as another tremor shook the room. "I believe you are right. Shall we?"

Together they raced for the elevator, startling the patrons exiting as they barged past them.

"Oh, and Jack?" Lucy said even as she pressed the button, "Yes."

IOIOIOIOI

"What on earth?" The Doctor demanded as the gangway shuddered violently.

Rose glared at him, "Don't you mean what on the moon?"

"It's a-" He stopped, "The TARDIS."

"What do you mean?"

He didn't reply, instead grabbing her hand and bolting down the last steps off the ride, pulling her desperately towards the TARDIS.

IOIOIOIOI

"Good God!" Senka shouted as he caught up with Josie, her slight frame silhouetted in the electrical blue light sizzling across the surface of the TARDIS.

"It's her. It's Stynn." She muttered, not truly to herself, "Stay back."

The glow intensified, and with a swallow, Josie stepped up to the ship, her own gold-tinged shield protecting her from the onslaught of raw power. Instinctively the others moved back.

"What the _hell _is she doing?" The Doctor demanded as he came sprinting up beside them, Rose less than a foot behind.

Adrian glared at his father, "Don't ask me! Looks like she's trying to help out the TARDIS! She said something about that _Pakero _Stynn…"

"Good God." The Doctor breathed, "She's trying to escape. The most advanced ship in Time and Space and she's trying to escape it. And Josie's trying to stop her. The Storm versus the nightmare…And no way of knowing which one is the greater terror…"

"What do you mean?" Jack demanded, his suit jacket flinging around him as he and Lucy arrived in a state of utter disarray, "That _thing-?_"

"-Is trying to break out of the TARDIS." The Doctor confirmed, his body tense as every crackle threw his face into stark relief.

"Can we help her?" Rose demanded, "Give her our strength like when-"

"No!" He snapped, "We touch her now and she looses concentration, we loose her. Full stop. End game. She and the TARDIS are fighting against a monster I should have-"

"THETA!" Rose shouted, bringing him out of his rant the only way she knew how. He turned to face her fully, anger pulsing through his body, "She. Is. My. Daughter. MY DAUGHTER! If you think that I'm willing to just lay back and drink maraltoff cocktails whilst she's battling some God-forsaken demon, you've got another thing bloody well coming to you!"

"THERE IS NOTHING ELSE WE CAN DO!" She shouted back, "Don't you _think _I want to help her? Don't you think I want to make sure _our _companion, ship, whatever you want to call the TARDIS today survives this battle for her _life?_"

"_If you hadn't noticed, Josephine is fighting _with _her!" _

"You said it yourself! There's nothing we can do! But I'm gonna tell you this, and I'm only going to tell you this once. SHE IS _OUR _DAUGHTER!" She shot back.

A desperate look replaced the anger on his face and they were clinging to each other, trying to fend off the tide of emotions that threatened to engulf them.

"What do we do now?" Anita asked, shielding her eyes as the light intensified.

Jack took a deep breath, "Now, we wait. And pray."

IOIOIOIOI

_So Closssee…._

_So near the completion of the Firssstt Kantu._

_IOIOIOIOI_

A blinding light tore through the TARDIS nearly blinding the group.

IOIOIOIOI

_Noooooooooooooooo…………._

IOIOIOIOIOIOI 

A.N: Review?


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